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Sermon Inspires New Enabling Residence
ESCALON, CA (November 8, 2005) - A 2004 sermon series has led to the Escalon
Covenant Church to build a Covenant enabling residence, which will house
approximately six developmentally disabled adults.
Former pastor Brian Wiele preached on "Expressing God's Heart, Growing
God's Family" to help the church explore its new mission. Those on the
margins of society are close to God's heart, Wiele told the church. He
then challenged them to start the first enabling residence in the
Pacific Southwest Conference. There are already several residences in
the Midwest. Another is planned for the Southeast Conference.
Within weeks of the sermon, almost a dozen people had expressed
interest, and the project was born. The church has 14 acres of available
property, and will use a portion for the residence. The project
continued to move forward after Wiele left to become director of mission
advancement for the conference.
Susan Paulsen, chair of the project, believes that God's kingdom "is
composed of multiethnic, multitalented, multi-challenged,
multi-economic, multitudes of people."
"God gave us the acreage years ago," she said, "and now he is
'mosaically' doing a new thing by leading us towards this ministry."
Paulsen adds that God "gave specific directions to Haggai, Nehemiah,
Ezra, Noah, and others to 'go, work, and build.' We believe that he
gives those same specific directions to each of us today."
The planned home's name - Oak Tree Place - comes from Isaiah 61:3: "They
will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to
display his glory." Architectural renderings are complete, and a
feasibility study is underway. The congregation is partnering with
Covenant Ministries of Benevolence.
The congregation has voted to lease the land needed for the project.
Groundbreaking is tentatively scheduled for early 2007.
The church can be contacted at 209-838-7600. More information about
Covenant Enabling Residences can be found at
www.covenantbenevolence.org/dsbld.htm
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